Alderman Sets Up Shop In Shadow Of Drug Sellers

His Outdoor Office Sends Them Message

It was a quiet Thursday at a West Side playground that usually doubles as a drug hot spot.

An alderman and a police commander sitting on the corner have that effect.

The unusual scene--Ald. Ed Smith (28th) opening a makeshift office at the corner of West Maypole and North Karlov Avenues--was meant to scare away the drug dealers that police say frequent the area. The commander joined Smith in the afternoon.

"I mean, sure, there're risks." Smith said. These guys drive by and they shoot. But we'll continue to fight this problem until we make a difference."

Smith will hold office hours at a small table next to the playground until the drug problem moves on, he said. Then he will move his office to another corner.

The area has been a "ghetto drugstore" for at least 10 years, according to Leo McCord, legislative aide to the alderman. Buyers can find any drug, at any hour, on the block, he said.

Commander Ervin Claudell of the Harrison District, which includes the alderman's corner, said police made more than 10,000 drug-related arrests in the district last year.

The district is on pace to beat that number this year, he said, with 5,478 arrests through June.

Smith said he plans to continue staffing a table in person and outside until the drugs leave the entire community. His staff will set up the table at 9 a.m. daily, and someone will be there until at least 6 at night.

Smith gestured to the playground behind him as justification for his mission. The city tried to protect the swings and slides from drug dealers about two years ago by posting a black iron fence. That hasn't helped enough, the alderman said.

Neighbor Sherry Young, 33, said drug dealers stay near the playground so they can offer children drugs. She said she heard dealers on the corner all night calling "Rocks and blows," referring to cocaine and heroin.

Smith said he hopes to return the neighborhood--the streets, the sidewalks and the playground--to the neighbors.

"A lot of people in this neighborhood are locked behind bars like they're in jail," said John McDowell, who lives a few blocks away. "They're afraid to come out."

But neighbors questioned the impact the alderman would have sitting in front of the playground.

One resident, who lives nearby and asked not to be identified, said the drug dealers work in shifts. The alderman might surprise a few shifts, he said. But the late-night shifts won't be affected.

Tessa Hegwood, 30, said the problem would move to another block and return as soon as the alderman moves on.

"As long as he's sitting here, it'll make a difference," she said.

Smith said he plans to sponsor an ordinance that would allow the city to jail anyone caught selling on city property. Most sidewalks and roads are city property.

He said he is also writing a letter to President Clinton, asking him to deal with drugs on an international level. The drug trade on Maypole Avenue will only stop when the drugs stop flowing into the country, he said.

The letter will be in the mail Friday, Smith said.

But Tracy Taylor, 25, said the neighborhood needs security guards at the playground and activities for the children more than anything. The people need to decide to improve the neighborhood, she said--and the alderman won't affect that.

"He might help for a little while," Young said. "Until he leaves. Then it'll be the same old `Rocks and Blows.' "